


Family Portrait

by J_EnotsoLovely



Series: One Piece One Shots and Drabbles [4]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Caring Roronoa Zoro, Comfort, Domestic Violence, Fear, Fist Fights, Heavy Angst, M/M, Sanji Is Not A Vinsmoke, Sanji is 17, So is Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji Needs a Hug, Vinsmoke Sanji-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:47:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26666170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_EnotsoLovely/pseuds/J_EnotsoLovely
Summary: It started with silence.Like an animal deciding how to do away with its prey.A dark, menacing silence that felt so very alive.Sanji paced around the kitchen and prayed to a god he fucking hoped was real.When the silence continued, he felt his shoulders relax, though only a fraction.Maybe God had chosen to be generous, just this once.Maybe things would calm down, the way they always did.Maybe it wouldn't be different from any other time and Sanji could go on pretending like he never heard anything.Like he never knew about the arguing.Like he didn't know how much his mother hated her life.Like they were a whole, happy family.But it seemed the Devil wished to play.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji, Vinsmoke Sanji & Vinsmoke Sora
Series: One Piece One Shots and Drabbles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936849
Comments: 25
Kudos: 141





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yo!  
> Hope you guys are alright.  
> Pretty much a vent fic. Had something similar happen to me recently so yeah.  
> Some things were changed to make it fit the story.

He could sense it.

Anyone could.

It sat sinister beneath a picturesque frame but it was there. It was palpable. 

This...tension.

So thick he could _slice right through_ and serve it up for dinner if he so wished. 

He knew what was going to happen.

He'd known the moment his father stormed into the master bedroom, eyes stormy and footfall heavy, a slight smirk marring his harsh features.

He knew, the moment Vinsmoke Judge said he'd wanted to speak with her, Sanji knew what was going to happen. 

And still, he left his mother alone with that man. 

It was his fault. It had been his fault. Sanji was the catalyst.

He'd seen her ignore the calls. He watched as she swiped right, preferring instead to listen to him rant and gush about a new recipe.

It was his fault. 

He left the room, his sense of foreboding growing as he walked, glad his brothers weren't around to mock his unease. His father's voice rumbled as he fumbled for the doorknob, and Sanji fought the urge to run back inside the room and throw himself at the Judge's feet, apologizing profusely.

"Didn't you see me calling?" The words rolled out like thunder.

"My phone is downstairs, I didn't know." Sora answered, and it is the last thing Sanji heard clearly, before he closed the door all the way.

It wasn't a lie.

But it wasn't the truth either.

Sanji knew what was going to happen.

He knew.

And he went downstairs anyways.

-

It started with silence. 

Like an animal deciding how to do away with its prey.

A dark, menacing silence that felt so very _alive._

Sanji paced around the kitchen and prayed to a god he fucking _hoped_ was real. 

When the silence continued, he felt his shoulders relax, though only a fraction. 

Maybe God had chosen to be generous, just this once.

Maybe things would calm down, the way they always did.

Maybe it wouldn't be different from any other time and Sanji could go on pretending like he never heard anything.

Like he never knew about the arguing. 

Like he didn't know how much his mother hated her life.

Like they were a whole, happy family.

But it seemed the Devil wished to play.

The crash was loud, and it made his ears ring.

Made him shiver and the hairs on his neck stand at attention. 

It was still quiet. 

And that's what terrified him.

And then he heard it.

The crying.

His mother.

Sora.

She was crying, the sounds coming out in short, little gasps. 

He clenched his fist to stop from the shaking, wrestling with the urge to fly up the stairs and kick down the doors.

He waited. 

He waited.

Because he couldn't move, he was stuck and his legs wouldn't listen.

The wouldn't let him run.

His brain kept trying to tell him it'd be okay.

His brain was a fucking _liar_. 

His legs shook. His knees knocked together. The source of his strength was gone. It was all he could do to stand.

"Come on. Let's go for a ride." His father's voice boomed and Sanji felt his blood freeze.

He didn't know how, but he fucking _knew_ that if Vinsmoke Sora left through those doors she'd never come back. 

Not alive.

And then the screaming started.

The _screaming._

"Sanji!" His mother yelled. "Sanji _help! Help me!"_

He jerked his head to the stairwell, and then looked back at the kitchen, wondering if he should grab a kitchen knife. 

_"_ Sanji _help me. Sanji help me please! PLEASE."_

Fuck. _No_. He was taking too long. He needed to go _now_ but his shitty legs wouldn't _move._

Why?

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy _whatthefuckwaswrongwithhim?_

His mom.

His mom.

_Mommy._

He needed to go to her.

She needed him.

"Sanji _call the police_. Call the police!"

It was like he was unglued. 

He ran to his phone and dialed. 

The screaming was loud, so loud. He stepped outside.

He waited.

And waited.

He could still hear yelling. 

Somehow he knew it'd haunt his dreams.

_"This is 911, do you have an emergency?"_

He jumped, stepping back in the house.

_"Hello? What is the location of your emergency?"_

"Ah, i-its, 6535 Grand Line Street." His voice was shaking. Everything was.

 _"I'm sorry. I can't hear you with all the background noise."_ That's right. Those fearful, angry screams were still happening. _"Could you repeat that please?"_

"6535 G-grand Line Street. The Germa division."

_"I see. And what's your emergency?"_

"A domestic. My parents, they're fighting."

He felt strangely calm. Disgustingly so. 

After the initial fear passed, there was nothing but faux serenity. 

_"Could you give me a description of the aggressor?"_

So Sanji did. 

And he found that his voice was no longer wobbly.

It made him sick.

Fucking nauseated. 

_"Police are on the way. If anything happens be sure to call back and let us know, okay?"_

-

In the middle of the call, his father left. 

Without a word, and left his mother sobbing on the ground.

He went to her, ~~a coward, he should've gone when it _mattered,_ ~~ and gave her a hug.

Her tears soaked his shirt.

Her body shook and writhed and he couldn't do anything but watch. 

"Are you okay?" He whispered and she nodded.

Not knowing what to do, and being able to handle her looking so defeated, he left.

_Useless._

He was so useless.

-

Zoro's contact stared at him.

They'd only _just_ started dating. Sanji didn't know if calling him about this was the right thing.

He decided he didn't care.

_"Hello?"_

And there it was, that smooth voice with a slight rasp that meant he'd just woken up from one of many naps. It made a smile appear on the blonde's face.

"Hey Zoro."

 _" **What's wrong**?" _The 17 year old demanded, and of _course_ the idiot could tell. 

It was one of many reasons that Sanji thought he might be in love. 

Zoro just _got_ him.

_"Sanji. What happened? I'll be over there soon. Hold on."_

Impulsive idiot.

It made the chef's heart swell.

"Relax Marimo. Its over now. I just--wanted to hear you." Sanji admitted quietly. "I miss you."

_"Sanji..."_

"They got in a fight." The blonde blurted. "A big one. He hit her Zoro. She said he didn't but the way she---" Sanji whimpered, the reality settling in. "The _screaming_ Zoro. I don't think I'll ever unhear it."

A pause then:

_"It's okay to cry, you know. You can relax with the tough shit act. I'm here for you."_

Sanji let out a dry laugh.

"That's the thing. I can't cry. I don't feel shit. And if I said I was surprised, I'd be lying. I can't cry because I knew. _I knew._ I could feel it. The thread getting thin. And I didn't do shit. He snapped Zoro, and I'm not even surprised. How fucked is that?"

There was silence.

It was one of the things that Sanji appreciated about his boyfriend the most. Zoro didn't try to comfort. He rode the waves and took everything in stride. He watched in silent contemplation, took everything in and picked it apart.

So when he asked, _"But that's not the worst of it, is it?"_ the chef couldn't do anything but shake his head.

Because of _course_ Zoro knew.

"No." Sanji agreed. "That isn't the worst of it."

The worst was that tomorrow, this would become a forgotten incident.

Everything would be back to normal, happy and smiling.

Tomorrow, they'd be picture-perfect once more.

Luckily, the kendo captain didn't ask him to elaborate, only grunting in affirmation.

_"i'm here if you need me shit-cook. Get the fuck out your head and don't hesitate to call, okay? Tell your mom her son-in-law said hi."_

"Yeah Marimo. I know and I will."

_"Also, don't ask how I know, but Luffy has some fucking **awesome** places to hide a body. And Usopp can fuck with the camera's and shit. Chopper can hide the evidence."_

"No, we are _not_ involving Chopper in this." The blonde countered sternly, fighting back a grin.

There's was a minor pause. " _You're right. Okay forget Chopper, we'll just have to be careful. Shit Robin might be able to help. And if we DO get caught, the witch can handle bail. Whatever_ _you want. Just let me know."_

Sanji laughed. He didn't even have it in him to scold the idiot for calling Precious Nami a witch. 

Zoro was much too good for him.

"Hush, you shitty piece of moss. I can't tell if you're being romantic or homicidal."

_"Both. Duh."_

Yep. Sanji was in love.

Falling hard and fast.

But he found he couldn't complain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again with the projection onto Sanji UwU

They were moving away. Sanji wasn't really sure how to feel about it. A part of him was happy. 

Soon, it'd just be him and his mother, just the two of them against the world. Mother and son. 

He wondered if he were selfish for being jealous of his father for having been his mother's partner in crime. He wondered if it made him a bad person to be glad to have his father out of his life, finally.

Because Sanji couldn't deny that it wasn't always bad. It wasn't always worrisome. There wasn't always a constant fear that his mother would die if left alone with that man.

It wasn't always bad.

But then it got worse. 

_"What happens between us is your mother and I's business."_

His father visited them on occasion. He never stayed long, but even though Sanji had been in his new place for less than a month and subsequently, away from the Judge for less than a month, the large man still felt like a stranger.

Sanji, despite his extrovert tendencies, didn't quite like talking to strangers.

He didn't like when his father came over, he didn't like the way the atmosphere grew stifling. He hated it. Couldn't stand it.

Hated it even more when his mother insisted on keeping contact. _"Make sure you text Judge in the morning. And before you go to sleep."_

What Sanji really hated was that Sora allowed Judge to stay a part of her life. 

_"Broken up."_ Is what his mother told him. _"We're figuring things out."_

But all he could see was the Judge wrapping chain after chain after chain around Sora. Locking her in place, trapping her there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im just. Tired xD  
> Way to bring the new year!


	3. Chapter 3

If asked, Sanji would deny being traumatized in any way. 

Sure, his parents fought a lot. Sure, he was certain that his mother was being led around on some kind of emotional leash.

And sure, he wasn't at all sure on how to breach the beginnings of that conversation. So he left it alone. 

Yeah, Sanji wasn't traumatized. 

He just learned how to listen. His body learned how to tense up, his adrenaline told him that _this time you'll fight. You won't run when she screams._

Because when _that man_ was in their home, all noises were threatening ones. 

There was only the promise of violence, even among the sounds of kissing and giggling and every other sickening lie that said _we're happy_. 

He wished that Sora would stop lying to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> been thinking about this recently.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really hope you enjoyed this but I hope you enjoyed it, you know?
> 
> As always, leave a comment, let me know what you thought! <3 Stay safe guys!


End file.
